1. Technical Field
This document relates to insulin secreting polypeptides. For example, this document provides methods and materials related to polypeptides having the ability to induce insulin secretion and methods and materials related to the use of such polypeptides to induce insulin secretion and to treat diabetes.
2. Background Information
Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of metabolic diseases where one suffers from high blood sugar. This can be because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. High blood sugar can produce symptoms of frequent urination, increased thirst, and/or increased hunger.
There are three main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes results from a failure to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance. The third main form is gestational diabetes, which occurs when pregnant women without a previous diagnosis of diabetes develop a high blood glucose level.